Ostomy appliance

ABSTRACT

A disposable ostomy receiving bag having front and rear walls sealed together along the rim thereof and having a top end and a bottom end, and a cover of a sheet material covering one or both surfaces of the bag and only secured to the wall along the part of the rim being superimposed on the sealed rim of the front and rear walls. The bottom end can be folded to reduce the size of the bag, with the folded end discreetly hidden under the cover sheet. Should a larger collecting volume be needed, unfolding of the bag allows for an easy enlargement of the active volume of the bag simply by withdrawing the end of the bag from under the cover sheet.

This is a nationalization of PCT/DK02/00400 filed Jun. 13, 2002 andpublished in English.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a collecting bag to be secured to theabdomen of a patient or to a body side ostomy member for collectingfluids or excretions emerging from an abdominal stoma.

In connection with surgery for a number of diseases in thegastro-intestinal or urinary tract a consequence is, in many cases, thatthe colon, the ileum or the ureter has been exposed surgically and thepatient is left with an abdominal stoma, or, in nephrostomy orureterostomy, the ureter or a catheter is exposed in the back or thechest region or abdominal region, and the effluents or waste products ofthe body, which are conveyed through these organs, are dischargedthrough the artificial orifice or opening and are collected in acollection bag, which is usually adhered to the skin by means of anadhesive wafer or plate having an inlet opening for accommodating thestoma/ureter/catheter. Also in connection with a fistula, the patientwill have to rely on an appliance to collect the bodily materialemerging from such opening.

Ostomy appliances are well known. Such appliances may be two-piece orone-piece appliances. In both types of appliances, an adhesive barriermember (or base plate) is attached to the wearer's abdomen/back/chest.In case of a one-piece appliance, a receiving member or bag is attachedto the base plate. In case of a two-piece appliance, the adhesivebarrier member forms part of a body side member and a receiving memberor bag is attached releasably to the body side ostomy member forreceiving exudates from the stoma.

When using one-piece appliances, the whole appliance, including theadhesive skin barrier securing the appliance to the skin is normallyremoved and replaced by a fresh appliance. When using two-pieceappliances, the body side ostomy member is left in place up to severaldays, and only the receiving member or bag attached to the body sidemember is replaced. The attachment means for attaching an ostomyreceiving bag may be a system known per se comprising matching couplingrings or matching flanges and adhesive surfaces engaging with andsealing against a flange area of the body side member.

Ostomy receiving bags are available in various sizes for taking intoaccount the different need for collecting capacity of the users, boththe difference between different users and also for the individual useraccording to actual situation and diet. The different sizes may alsoallow the user to use a small bag or cap for discretion when e.g. whengoing out or attending public meetings.

However, as the secretion of exudates from the stoma cannot be regulatedat will, situations often occur where the actual size of a more discreetcollecting bag is not sufficient which may cause severe embarrassmentfor the user.

Thus, there is a need for a very discreet collecting bag which alsooffers a solution to an acute demand for a larger capacity of thecollecting device.

2. Description of the Related Art

GB 2 247 172 discloses a disposable ostomy receiving bag comprisingfront and rear walls sealed together along the rim thereof and having atop end and a bottom end wherein the top end of the rear wall isprovided with an inlet opening, wherein the rear wall of the receivingbag is provided with a further cover of a sheet material which coverlayer terminates at a lower edge thereof.

GB 2 094 153 discloses a disposable ostomy receiving bag comprisingfront and rear walls sealed together along the rim thereof and having atop end and a bottom end wherein the top end of the rear wall isprovided with an inlet opening, wherein the rear wall of the receivingbag is provided with a further cover of a sheet material, which coverlayer is secured to the lower part of the wall.

None of the references disclose nor indicate a solution to the problemof having an ostomy receiving bag which may be small and discrete andwhich at the same time also offers the option of providing a largercapacity if needed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a disposable ostomy receiving bagcomprising front and rear walls sealed together along the rim thereofand having a top end and a bottom end wherein the top end of the rearwall is provided with an inlet opening, wherein the receiving bag Isprovided with a further cover of a sheet material covering one or bothsurfaces thereof.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention is disclosed more in detail with reference to the drawingsin which

FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of an ostomy receiving bag according to theinvention,

FIG. 2 shows a sectional view along the line I-I of the embodiment ofFIG. 1,

FIG. 3 shows a further embodiment of an ostomy receiving bag accordingto the invention, and

FIG. 4 shows the embodiment of FIG. 1 in an unfolded state, seen fromthe surface facing away from the user.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

Further scope of applicability of the present invention will becomeapparent from the detailed description given hereinafter. However, itshould be understood that the detailed description and specificexamples, while indicating preferred embodiments of the invention, aregiven by way of illustration only, since various changes andmodifications within the spirit and scope of the invention will becomeapparent to those skilled in the art from this detailed description.

The present invention relates to a disposable ostomy receiving bagcomprising front and rear walls sealed together along the rim thereofand having a top end and a bottom end, with the top end of the rear wallbeing provided with an inlet opening. The receiving bag is provided witha further cover of a sheet material covering at least one of thesurfaces thereof, wherein the cover sheet is provided with an unattachedor cut edge defining a part of the cover which only covers a part of thecorresponding wall and is only secured to the wall along the part of therim being superimposed on the sealed rim of the front and rear walls.The receiving bag is characterised in that the bottom end of the bag isfolded back and stretches under the cover sheet.

Thus, the present invention relates to a collecting bag to be secured tothe abdomen of a patient or to a body side ostomy member for collectingfluids or excretions.

One embodiment of the invention, in which the cut cover sheet onlycovers the corresponding surface partly, offers an option of folding thebag and putting the folded part under the cover sheet. This foldingreduces the size of the bag and keeps the folded end discreetly hiddenunder the cover sheet and thus ensures discretion. Furthermore, itallows for an easy enlargement of the active volume of the bag simply bywithdrawing the end of the bag from under the cover sheet, should alarger collecting volume suddenly be needed in situations where there isdifficult or no access to a rest room.

When the cover sheet of the front wall is cut along a line perpendicularto the longest dimension of the front wall the end of the bag is easy toinsert and withdraw from behind the cover sheet.

In a preferred embodiment the cover sheet covers the front wall.

It is preferred that the cover sheet of the front wall superimposing thetop end of the front wall forms a pocket which will not give rise tofolding of the top part of the cover sheet.

It has been found suitable when the length of the cover sheet of thefront wall is from 25 to 100% of the longest dimension of the front wallwhich still allows for a considerable temporary reduction of the volumeof the bag and reduces the use of raw materials. Thus, it is foreseenthat the cover sheet may be in the form of a band covering a part of thefront wall.

It is preferred that the unattached or cut edge of the cover sheet ofthe front wall is placed at a length of from 50% to 75% of the longestdimension of the front wall. With this placement range, the length ofthe longest dimension is reduced by 50% to 25%, respectively, when thebottom end of the bag is folded and placed under the unattached or cutedge of the cover sheet.

In an another embodiment of the invention, the cover sheet being cutcovers all of the surface of the corresponding wall and is secured tothe wall along the part of the rim being superimposed on the sealed rimof the front and rear walls leaving a slit defining two pockets eachcovering an end part of the bag.

In a further preferred embodiment of the invention the end of the bagopposite the top end is provided with a strip of material extending fromthe bottom end which will render it easier to grasp and withdraw thefolded end of the bag from behind the cover sheet.

It is especially preferred that the length of the strip is longer thanthe distance from the bottom end of the bag in its folded state to thecut off line or unattached edge of the cover sheet as the end of thestrip will then protrude from behind the cover sheet and thus be easierto grasp.

Furthermore, it is preferred to secure the strip in a manner that allowsan easy removal, so that it e.g. can be torn off, naturally without riskof damaging the welding of the pouch which might lead to leaks, afterthe expansion or unfolding of the bag in order to reduce any discomfortby the strip stretching from below the pouch in the unfolded state.Thus, it is preferred that the ultimate strength of the strip in thearea in which it is secured to the pouch is lower than the tearingstrength of the welding of the rim of the pouch.

This may be achieved by securing the strip to the rim of the bag using awelding being weaker than the welding of the rim of the pouch and alsoweaker than the ultimate strength of the strip itself. Alternatively,the strip may be provided with one or more notches or perforations nearthe area in which it is secured to the pouch in order to ensure that theultimate strength in this area is lower than the tearing strength of thewelding of the rim of the pouch. The strip may be of any suitablematerial being compatible with the cover sheet and fulfilling the aboverequirements.

It is preferred that the cover sheet is of a porous material as suchmaterial may reduce noise from the bag and improve the “breathing” ofthe skin covered by the bag.

The ostomy receiving bag according to the invention may be adapted foruse together with an ostomy body side member (2-piece appliance) whereinthe receiving bag is provided with coupling means for releasablesecuring to matching coupling means placed on the ostomy body sidemember and wherein the inlet opening is adapted for alignment with ahole of the ostomy body side member for receiving a stoma.

The ostomy receiving bag according to the invention may, as analternative, be adapted for use directly (1-piece appliance) in whichcase the bag is provided with an adhesive wafer for securing thereceiving bag to the user's skin, said bag and wafer having an inletopening for receiving a stoma.

The receiving bag itself comprising front and rear walls sealed togetheralong the rim and provided with an inlet opening may be made in analogywith and from materials conventionally used for the preparation ofostomy appliances. An ostomy body side member for use together with anostomy receiving bag according to the invention may be produced fromstandard materials normally used for preparation of disposable ostomyand wound and incontinence devices.

Thus, the adhesive wafer for a body side member or of a 1-piece ostomyappliance bag according to the invention may be made from a medicalgrade barrier adhesives known in the such as the formulation beingdisclosed, for example in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,367,732, 5,051,259 or5,714,225. For a 2-piece ostomy appliance according to the invention thebody side member and the receiving bag are provided with matchingcoupling means.

The coupling means for use in connection with the present invention maybe any suitable coupling means known per se for coupling of ostomy baseplates to ostomy collecting bags, e.g. a mechanical coupling such asmatching coupling rings such as the coupling rings disclosed in WO93/18725 or WO 94/18919 or matching flanges for adhesive connection ofthe type disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,800,415.

Suitable porous materials for use as cover for the purpose of thepresent invention are woven or non-woven sheet materials which aremoisture resistant and may be united with materials conventionally usedin the production of ostomy appliances such as non-woven materials ofpolyethylene, polypropylene or a polyester.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The invention is now explained more in detail with reference to thedrawings showing preferred embodiments of the invention.

In FIG. 1 of the drawings is shown an embodiment of a disposable ostomyreceiving bag (1) according to the invention comprising front and rearwalls (3) sealed together along the rim (4) thereof and having a top end(A) and a bottom end wherein the top end of the rear wall is providedwith an inlet opening (not shown), wherein the receiving bag is providedwith a further cover of a sheet (5) material covering one or bothsurfaces thereof wherein the cover sheet at least one of the surfacesonly covers a part of the corresponding wall and is only secured to thewall along the part of the rim (4) being superimposed on the sealed rimof the front and rear walls. The bottom end (B) is folded back andstretches under the cover sheet (5) of the front wall as indicatedthrough a dotted line and is provided with a strip (6) of a sheetmaterial extending from the bottom end. As can be seen in FIG. 1, whenthe bottom end of the bag is folded and placed under the cover sheet,the bag size and collecting capacity are at least 25% smaller than whenthe bag is unfolded.

FIG. 2 shows a sectional view along the line I-I of the embodiment ofFIG. 1, showing the front (2) and rear (3) walls sealed together alongthe rim (4) thereof and having a top end (A) and a bottom (B) endwherein the top end of the rear wall is provided with an inlet opening(7), wherein the receiving bag is provided with a further cover (5) of asheet material covering one or both surfaces thereof wherein the coversheet at at least one of the surfaces only covers a part of thecorresponding wall and is only secured to the wall along the part of therim (4) being superimposed on the sealed rim of the front and rearwalls. The bottom end (B) is folded back and stretches under the coversheet (5) of the front wall and is provided with a strip (6) of a sheetmaterial extending from the bottom end. Furthermore, the ostomyreceiving bag (1) is provided with an adhesive wafer (8) for securingthe same to the skin of an ostomate or to a body side member.

FIG. 3 shows a further embodiment of an ostomy receiving bag accordingto the invention wherein the cover sheet of the front wall (2) is cutoff, i.e., has an unattached edge, at a length of from 25% to 80% of thelongest dimension of the front wall and is in the form of a band (9)covering a part of the front wall. The bottom end (B) being folded backand stretching under the cover sheet (9) of the front wall (2) and theend of the strip (6) of a sheet material are visible above and below thecover sheet.

FIG. 4 shows the embodiment of FIG. 1 in an unfolded state, seen fromthe surface facing away from the user showing the front wall (2), thecover sheet (5) and the strip (6) extending from the bottom end andindicating an adhesive wafer situated on the back wall.

The invention being thus described, it will be apparent that the samemay be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as adeparture from the spirit and scope of the invention, and all suchmodifications as would be recognized by one skilled in the art areintended to be included within the scope of the following claims.

1. A disposable ostomy receiving bag comprising front and rear wallssealed permanently together continuously along an entirety of a rimthereof and having a top end bounded by an uppermost edge of the bagdefined by a first portion of the sealed rim and a bottom end bounded bya lowermost edge of the bag defined by a second portion of the sealedrim, said top end of the rear wall being provided with an inlet opening,said receiving bag including a cover of a sheet material covering atleast part of one of said walls, said cover sheet covering only aportion of a top end of the corresponding wall to form a pocket andbeing provided with an unattached or cut edge placed at a first distancefrom said uppermost edge, the first distance being from 50% to 75% of alongest dimension of said front wall extending from said uppermost edgeto said lowermost edge, the bottom end of the bag being folded back andextending under the cover sheet to form a reduced collecting volume forsaid bag when folded.
 2. The receiving bag as claimed in claim 1 whereinthe cover sheet covers the front wall.
 3. The receiving bag as claimedin claim 1 wherein said unattached or cut edge extends along a linegenerally perpendicular to said longest dimension of the correspondingwall.
 4. The receiving bag as claimed in claim 1 wherein the longestdimension of the front wall is reduced by 50% to 25% when the bottom endof the bag is folded and extended under said unattached or cut edge. 5.The receiving bag as claimed in claim 1 further comprising a strip ofmaterial extending from the bottom end.
 6. The receiving bag as claimedin claim 5, wherein the ultimate strength of the strip in the area inwhich it is secured to the bag is lower than the tearing strength of therim of the bag.
 7. The receiving bag as claimed in claim 5 wherein alength of the strip is longer than the distance from the bottom end ofthe bag in its folded state to the unattached or cut edge of the coversheet.
 8. The receiving bag as claimed in claim 1 wherein the coversheet is of a porous material.
 9. A disposable ostomy receiving bagcomprising front and rear walls sealed permanently and continuouslytogether along an entirety of a rim thereof and having a top end boundedby an uppermost edge of said bag and a bottom end bounded by a lowermostedge of said bag, said bag defining a first length as measured from theuppermost edge to the lowermost edge and having a first collectingvolume, said top end of the rear wall having an inlet opening, a coversheet overlying at least a part of the front wall or the rear wall andbeing secured to the respective wall only along a part of said rim andpositioned relative to the uppermost edge of said bag so as to retainsaid bag is in a folded state being folded back upon itself and placedunder the cover sheet to reduce said first length and said firstcollecting volume of the bag by at least 25%.
 10. The receiving bag asclaimed in claim 9 wherein the cover sheet covers at least part of thefront wall.
 11. The receiving bag as claimed in claim 9 wherein saidfirst length represents a longest longitudinal dimension of said bag,said cover sheet being cut along a line generally perpendicular to saidlongest dimension of the corresponding wall to define a cut edge. 12.The receiving bag as claimed in claim 10 wherein the cover sheet of thefront wall superimposes the top end of the front wall and forms apocket.
 13. The receiving bag as claimed in claim 10 wherein a length ofthe cover sheet is from 25 to 100% of the first length of the frontwall.
 14. The receiving bag as claimed in claim 11 wherein said cut edgeis placed at a length of from 50% to 75% of said longest longitudinaldimension.
 15. The receiving bag as claimed in claim 9, wherein a stripof material extends from the bottom end.
 16. The receiving bag asclaimed in claim 15, wherein the rim of the bag is welded and a strengthof the strip where it is secured to the bag is less than a tearingstrength of the welding of the bag rim.
 17. The receiving bag as claimedin claim 15 wherein a length of the strip is longer than the distancefrom the bottom end of the bag in its folded state to a lower edge ofthe cover sheet.
 18. A disposable ostomy receiving bag comprising: afront and a rear wall sealed together permanently and continuously alongan entirety of a rim thereof and having a top end and a bottom end,thereby defining a first collecting volume; an inlet opening disposedthrough the rear wall proximate the top end; a cover sheet overlying atleast a portion of the top end of the front wall to form a pocket andbeing secured to the respective wall only along a part of said rim, saidpocket positioned to selectively retain said bottom end of the bag or ina folded back position under the cover sheet so as to reduce the size ofthe bag and to define a second collecting volume, wherein the firstcollecting volume is at least 25% greater than the second collectingvolume.
 19. A disposable ostomy receiving bag comprising front and rearwalls joined to one another at a rim forming a permanent and continuousseal about an entire perimeter of the bag defined by the rim and havinga top end bounded by an uppermost edge of said bag and a bottom endbounded by a lowermost edge of said bag, said top end of the rear wallbeing provided with an inlet opening, said receiving bag including acover of a sheet material covering at least part of one of said walls,said cover sheet being secured along a part of said rim so as toselectively receive and retain the bottom end of the bag when foldedback, the cover sheet having an unattached or cut edge positionedapproximately midway along a longitudinal length of said bag andextending generally perpendicularly to said length, said longitudinallength being that distance between said uppermost edge and saidlowermost edge.
 20. The receiving bag as claimed in claim 1 wherein thelongest dimension of the front wall is reduced by about 50% to about 25%when the bottom end of the bag is folded and extended under saidunattached or cut edge.
 21. The receiving bag as claimed in claim 18,wherein said cover sheet is provided with an unattached or cut edgeextending generally perpendicularly to said longitudinal length of saidbag and being placed at a length of from about 50% to about 75% of saidlongitudinal length.
 22. The receiving bag as claimed in claim 21,wherein said unattached or cut edge is positioned approximately midwayalong said longitudinal length of said bag.
 23. The receiving bag asclaimed in claim 18, wherein the first collecting volume is at least 50%greater than the second collecting volume.